# Four graphs linking Covid-19 deaths and the housing crisis in the UK (Inside Housing, 29 May 2020) * **The housing pandemic: four graphs showing the link between COVID-19 deaths and the housing crisis** * By Nathaniel Barker. Published in Inside Housing on 29 May 2020 * * **Summary**: * The four graphics are: * COVID-19 death rates versus housing overcrowding * COVID-19 death rates versus prevalence of HMOs (Houses in multiple occupations) * COVID-19 death rates versus homelessness * COVID-19 death rates versus social housing shortage * From the text of the article: * "Live in poor-quality, cramped, unsuitable accommodation and you are more likely to suffer from a wide range of illnesses, such as cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. * In 2015, [the Building Research Establishment estimated](https://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/pdf/87741-Cost-of-Poor-Housing-Briefing-Paper-v3.pdf) that poor housing costs the NHS at least £1.4bn a year. Yet, despite the growing body of evidence, the disconnect between housing policy and health policy remains steadfast. * Now, the coronavirus pandemic – described by prime minister Boris Johnson as “the worst public health crisis for a generation” – has thrown the problems into sharp relief. With more than 37,000 people having lost their lives to COVID-19, the UK has the highest number of deaths in Europe and second-most globally. * While a myriad of factors have contributed to the high number of deaths, housing conditions are likely to have played a key part. At the start of the month, [the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released shocking figures](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19bylocalareasanddeprivation/latest) showing that poorer areas of the country have significantly higher coronavirus mortality rates." * **Regulatory levels**: local, national (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland; UK), EU * **Keywords**: coronavirus, Covid-19, UK, housing conditions, public health, data --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://housing-base.journalismarena.eu/access-to-housing/media-stories/2020/four-graphs-linking-covid-19-deaths-and-the-housing-crisis-in-the-uk-29-may-2020.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.